Twenty Moments
by Military Mechanic
Summary: For each and every one of us, there is a memory attached to a word. A moment in time that we will never forget. For Zolo, twenty of them mean more than the others. Twenty of them are enough - to keep him moving, fighting, and living.


A/N: So, this is another of my self-imposed challenge. It's the same as the Twenty Words story that I have up for Usopp, where for each word I write exactly one sentence for them. Yes, they are all run-on sentences but that is part of the charm of this challenge.

Anyway, reviews are wonderful and I hope you enjoy!

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1. Book - It's a small, leather book that seals Kuina's fate, or maybe it's the man standing over her grave, speaking words of a better land; whatever it is, the day the coffin of his long-time friend is lowered into the ground is also the day that Zolo decides there is no God.

2. Cool - Zolo doesn't say anything for a long time, just stares at the little reighndeer, who now looks vaugley like he wishes to curl up somewhere and die, then he stutters out; "you think I'm cool?"

3. Cold - Zolo has been caught up in blizzards, avalanches, hail storms and every other kind of winter weather one can think of - yet he can think of nothing quite as cold as the chill that seeps through him when he loses too much blood.

4. Young - Kuina died when she was young, too young, and that thought forces its way into Zolo's mind one night, when he is alone and cold, and refuses to let go.

5. Wrong - It's wrong, Zolo thinks to himself, so very wrong that his captain has been forced to endure so much pain - yet the swordsman stands strong, for that exact reason.

6. Gentle - The touch that saves him isn't a gentle one - it's filled with force and determination and so much skill, so much fear, that Zolo almost feels ashamed for getting hurt, almost feels ashamed for making Chopper deal with such wounds and such stress.

7. Last - They are surrounded by marines, he and Nami, and Zolo knows that the navigator cannot last much longer, not with how much blood she's lost already, so, when she hits the ground, he changes - and, like a man possessed, he throws every last ounce of his strength into protecting her.

8. One - To begin with, his dream was to become the worlds greatest swordsman, to be the best, the One; but, as time passed, this dream changed and morphed until, now, his dream has become that of keeping his captain safe.

9. Thousand - There are thousands of them here, men and women and marines and pirates alike, all here for a war, for a battle, for _bloodshed_ - and Zolo is there for none of that, no, he's there solely for his captain.

10. King - Luffy will be the King of the Pirates, there is no doubt about that - not like there once was, when Zolo was strung up in a marine courtyard; no, now he has nothing but faith in his captain.

11. Friendship - As a child, Zolo didn't really have many friends aside from Kuina; as a teenager, Zolo had no friends, just fellow bounty hunters; as a man, Zolo is surrounded constantly, but by family, not friends.

12. Fight - Every day is a fight for him, to constantly get stronger, better, faster, to always protect his crew and their dreams and his dreams, to never let anyone down - and he is afraid of the day that he won't have the energy to fight anymore.

13. Group - They sit in the kitchen, mugs of rum in hand and platters of food about them, Brook playing music and Chopper dancing, some laughing, some telling stories - and Zolo is vaguely aware, inbetween bouts of fighting with Sanji and dancing with Luffy, that he has never been apart of a group this tight.

14. Bruise - Zolo doesn't like looking in the mirror much any more, not with those bruises there, large and dark and _taunting_ - telling everyone the tale of the fight he couldn't win, not because of pride or loyalty or love, but simply because he was _too weak_.

15. Regret - The sun is hot above him, beneath him the sand burns, pieces of grit pressing up against his torn skin - he may die here, and Zolo realizes that, but he doesn't regret it, not when he has helped his crew get so far.

16. Aim - "Just take a deep breath and aim," says Zolo, shifting slightly so most of his weight is being supported by the smaller man, "you're all that we've got left now."

17. Liar - She's a liar, Zolo decides one day, after meeting up with Tashigi in town - and, yes, he's had more than a few beers, and, yes, it is the anniversary if Kuina's death, but that doesn't matter; Tashigi is still a liar and and Zolo knows, with every fiber of his being, that he is taking care of his swords well.

18. Mushrooms - It was the first thing that Zolo learnt when he was out on his own - don't eat anything you don't recognize, especially fungi, because it will leave you retching for days.

19. Family - It's something that he doesn't talk about, even to Luffy, the days before he met Kuina - something he doesn't think about because he's afraid to, afraid that it will happen again and this new family of his, they will leave him too.

20. Spiders - It was ridiculous and cliche and so over used, but right there in front of him, gaurding the too-dark castle, was nothing less than a giant, fuzz covered, spider.


End file.
